Arm-rest for crutches.



No. 736,072. PATENTED AUG. 11, 1903.

H. S. COLE.

ARM REST FOR GRUTGHES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 1, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

N VE N 70/? Jaw- 110329 Patented August 11, 1903.

UNITED STATES PATENT, OFFICE.

HARRY S. COLE, OF NEWVTONSVILLE, OHIO.

ARM-REST FOR CRUTCHES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 736,072, dated August11, 1903.

Application filed April 1, 1903. Serial No. 150,538. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern/.-

Be it known that I, HARRY S. COLE, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of Newtonsville, in the county of Olermont and State of Ohio,have invented a new and Improved Head or Arm-Rest for Orutches, of

which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to crutches; and it consists substantially in theconstruction, organization, and combination of parts hereinafterparticularly described and claimed.

The invention has reference more particularly to heads or arm-rests forcrutches, and the principal object of the invention is to provide adevice or structure of its kind which may be readily attached to ordetached from the upper ends or extremities of the uprights or standardsof a crutch and also to provide such a device with means whereby acomfortable yielding action is derived therefrom in the use of thecrutch.

A further object is to provide a device of the kind referred to which issimple in. con

struction and capable of adjustment to vary-- ing degrees of elasticity,accordingly as may be required in use, and one also possessingdurability and strength and having the capacity for long and repeatedservice.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a head or arm-restfor crutches which is light in weight and comparativelycheap tomanufacture, besides being capable of easy handling and manipulation,both in the attachment and detachment to or from the standards oruprights of the crutch.

The above and additional objects are attained by means substantiallysuch as are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1is a side view, partly broken away, of a head or arm-rest for crutchesembodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional View takenon the line 00 w in Fig. 1 5 and Fig. 3 is a similar view showing thelongitudi'nal members of the head or arm-rest in separated condition,thus to illustrate the operation thereof on the insertion or removal ofthe elements or parts contained within the sheath or outer covering forthe device.

Before proceeding with a more detailed description it may be stated thatin the embodiment of my invention herein shown I proflde the head orarm-rest for the crutch with a base of special construction, to which isattached or secured in any suitable manner a sheath or outer covering ofany desired material, which is also of specialconstruction, to adapt thesame for the reception of an inner elastic tube provided with means forinflating the same with air, said tube being provided with an inclosingcasing for preserving the shape of the tube when the latter is inflatedand which also prevents bursting of the said tube from undue pressure.

While I have herein represented a certain preferred embodiment of myimproved device, it will be understood that I am not limited to theprecise details thereof in practice, since immaterial changes thereinmay be resorted to coming within the scope of my invention. Specificreference being'had to the several parts of the drawings by. thedesignating characters marked thereon,'1 represents the base of the heador arm-rest for a crutch, the same being constructed of duplicate strips2 2 of wood or other suitable material having the proper curvature toconform to the armpit of the user of the device, and attached or securedto the underside of each of said strips, as by meansof tacks 3 or in anyother suitable manner, are the longitudinal edges 4: of a sheath orouter covering 5, which latter is cut or formed to closely fit the sidesof the said strips 2 2, and also with sufficient fullness to formpractically a pocket 5, it being remarked at this point that the saidsheath or outer covering may be made of rubber, cloth, leather, or anyother desired material. From the construction thus described it willappear that-the said duplicate strips 2 2 constitute practically aclamp, and, as shown in Fig. 1, each stripis correspondingly recessed at6, on opposite sides of the longitudinal center thereof, for thereception of dowels 7 at the upper ends of the standards or uprights 8 8of the crutch, and when these dowels are properly inserted in placebetween the inner sides of the said duplicate, strips and screws orother fastening devices 9 are passed through openings 10 therefor in thestrips and properly secured it is apparent that the head or ar1n-restwill be firmly fastened in position at the upper ends of the saidstandards or uprights. Fig. 3 indicates the manner of separating thestrips for the purpose of attaching or detaching the head or arm-rest toor from the standards or uprights whenever desired.

Contained in the pocket formed by the sheath or outer covering 5 is arubber or other elastic tube 11, which is contained in an inclosing case12 of canvas or other suitable material, which serves to preserve thegeneral shape of the tube when inflated with air, besides also confiningthe tube within prescribed limits of expansion and preventing burstingof the same from undue pressure within. For the purpose of inflating ordeflating the inner elastic tube I provide a valved. connection 13,passing through the base of the head or arm-rest and communieating withthe inner inflatable tube after passing through a suitable openingtherefor in the inelosing casing for said tube. Referring to Figs. 2 and3, it will be seen that I also sometimes employ a closing-flap 14 of anysuitable material for rendering the joint between the adjacent sides ofthe duplicate curved strips 2 2 air-tight; but the use of this flap isnot necessary in all. instances. It is evident that I may attach orsecure the longi-- tudinal edges of the sheath or outer covering to theunder side of the duplicate strips in any other desired way fromthatherein shown, and it is also apparent that other materials thanthose herein specified may be employed for the construction of thedifferent elements or parts of the structure, it being added that informing the inflated tube and its inclosing easing the same are given ashape to conform to the general curvature of the strips of the base, bywhich to give to the structure an elastic or yieldable action, by whichall jarring and soreness to the arm of the user is obviated. A head orarm-rest of this character also is less liable to wear out adjacentparts of the garments or clothing of the user, and it possesses a greatmany other advantages over many similar devices hitherto devised withlike objects in view.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent 1. An arm-rest for crutches, comprising duplicatestrips, a sheath or casing having its edges passed around and beneathsaid strips and secured to the under sides of the latter, these stripsbeing constructed on their inner faces to receive the upper ends of thestandards of a crutch, means for securing the strips together, anelastic tube within said sheath, and a valved tube for enablinginflation of said elastic tube to be effected.

2. A head or arm-rest for crutches, comprising duplicate curved' strips,movably joined together in parallelism, means for securing the stripstogether, a sheath or outer covering attached to the strips at the loweredges thereof, an inner inflatable tube, and an inclosing casing forsaid tube.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

HARRY S. COLE.

\Vitnesses W. L. WARE, MARY E. COLE.

